Boehner Vows An (Unlikely) Reversal of Obama's Contraception Rule

Speaker of the House John Boehner made a floor speech Wednesday vowing to repeal the Obama Administration's rule requiring some Catholic-affiliated organizations to offer health care coverage that includes birth control. Catholic leaders have been vocally protesting the rule as a violation of their religious freedoms, and this week the administration has shown signs it could compromise slightly on the ruling. But Boehner, a Catholic himself, had a strong condemnation. "In recent days, Americans of every faith and political persuasion have mobilized in objection to a rule put forth by the Obama administration that constitutes an unambiguous attack on religious freedom in our country," he said. National Journal's Matthew Cooper points out that the promise to repeal is more political than practical:

He promised to move legislation through 'regular order,' meaning a bill would have to be marked up by the Energy and Commerce committee before it can be moved to the floor. That will delay a House vote on any repeal of the contraception rule for at least a few weeks ... It also means the legislation will be no different than the nearly dozen health reform law repeal bills the House has passed over the past year.

The Hill argues that, "Boehner’s decision shows congressional Republicans sense the adminsitration is vulnerable on the point." Given Obama is already looking to cut a deal with Catholic leaders, it'll be interesting to see whether the House's actions move the administration further toward compromise or not.